Inclined Display Shelves and Accessories Therefor

ABSTRACT

Containers are mounted in rows on a display rack having shelves inclined upwardly so that articles on the shelf tend to slide forwardly. The containers arranged in rows located side by side across the width of the shelf are formed of board or as transparent plastic jars. Each container has a base on the shelf, upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls with the front and rear walls inclined at a wall angle to a plane at right angles to the base the base so that with the base sitting on the inclined shelf the front and rear walls stand substantially upright. A lid can be provided for the jars with a part hinged opening portion carrying a sample of the product n the underside. A transport tray can be provided to carry the containers and to act as a low friction support for one row on the shelf.

This invention relates to inclined display shelves and accessoriestherefor which allow the better display of products for sale on displayshelves of the inclined self feeding type.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Racks to hold and display packaged products in the fastener industry areknown, both with horizontal and sloped or angled shelves. Shelves thatare angled downwards or toward the viewer or customer are also known,and are designed in this manner to allow the remaining boxes or packagesto slide forward as the first container in the row is removed by aworker or customer.

Carton flow racks of this type provide excellent storage densitycombined with picking efficiency. No power source is required, andbecause frontage per item is greatly reduced, restocking and picking canbe done much faster. In fact, one person can do the work of three orfour. Typically static shelving: pickers spend only 15% of their timedoing productive work. It has been found that with gravity carton flow,pickers spend 85% of their time doing productive work. A gravity cartonflow system may cost a little more than conventional shelving but itcuts labor costs drastically. This type of racking is commonly used byretailers such as Home Depot and Lowes. Examples of a system whichallows the gravity flow system to be allied to conventional shelvingframe work is shown in Canadian Patent 2453273 entitled SHELVING DISPLAYRACK which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,689.

Products for shelving of this type are commonly packaged in square orrectangular shaped boxes or containers to be place on the shelf. In somecases, heavily loaded boxes may bind or stick to the shelf material thuspreventing the self feeding system form operating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one object of the invention to provide an arrangement ofcontainers for the rack which will assist with displaying the productscontained on the inclined shelf.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a set ofcontainers for use with a display rack having a plurality of shelveswhere at least some of the shelves are inclined at a shelf angle from afront edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge so that articles onthe shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge, the set ofcontainers comprising:

a plurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls;

the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining a common widthand depth of the containers so that they can be arranged in rows locatedside by side across the width of the shelf with a plurality ofcontainers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge;

the containers having the front and rear walls inclined at a wall angleto a plane at right angles to the base the base, which wall angle issubstantially equal to the shelf angle so that with the base sitting onthe inclined shelf the front and rear walls stand substantially upright.

Preferably each container has a top which is substantially parallel tothe base.

Preferably the front and rear walls are planar and parallel and the sidewalls are planar and parallel so that the containers are substantiallyrectangular. However the container can also be curved or even circularin horizontal cross-section.

Preferably the containers are formed of a board material such as cardboard but can be any material.

Preferably the cardboard front wall includes an opening covered by atransparent material to allow viewing of the contents.

As an alternative the walls can be molded from a transparent materialsuch as a plastic or glass jar.

Preferably the top forms an opening with a covering lid which can be asnap fit or a screw fit.

Preferably the lid has an opening therein smaller than the opening inthe top with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut on the lid toclose the opening in the lid.

Preferably the lid is circular and the opening is semi-circular so as toform less than half of the open top.

Preferably the opening portion carries protruding clips to hold acomponent associated with the product flat against the underside of theopening portion. Where the product is a fastener or the like, thecomponent can be a tool, such as a nailset or driver bit, to apply thefastener supplied in the container. Also the component can be a sampleof the contents of the container.

Preferably the clips are arranged in two spaced pairs to hold anelongate sample clipped between each pair and extending longitudinallybetween the pairs flat against the underside of the lid.

Preferably there is provided a tray with a flat base arranged to sit onthe shelf with front and rear walls upstanding from the base, the trayhaving a width substantially equal to the width of the containers forreceiving one row of the containers.

Preferably the tray includes a removable cover portion for retaining thecontainers on the tray and protecting the containers for shipping, thecover portion being removable to allow the tray containing thecontainers to be placed on the shelf for display of the containers.

Preferably the tray has at least the base thereof formed from a plasticsmaterial having a coefficient of friction less than that of the shelf.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a set ofcontainers for use with a display rack having a plurality of shelveswhere at least some of the shelves are inclined at a shelf angle from afront edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge so that articles onthe shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge, the set ofcontainers comprising:

a plurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls;

the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining a common widthand depth of the containers so that they can be arranged in rows locatedside by side across the width of the shelf with a plurality ofcontainers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge;

wherein each container has a top which forms an opening with a coveringlid;

wherein the lid has an opening therein smaller than the opening in thetop with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut on the lid to closethe opening in the lid.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a set ofcontainers for use with a display rack having a plurality of shelveswhere at least some of the shelves are inclined at a shelf angle from afront edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge so that articles onthe shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge, the set ofcontainers comprising:

a plurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls;

the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining a common widthand depth of the containers so that they can be arranged in rows locatedside by side across the width of the shelf with a plurality ofcontainers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge;

wherein there is provided a tray with a flat base arranged to sit on theshelf with front and rear walls upstanding from the base, the trayhaving a width substantially equal to the width of the containers forreceiving one row of the containers.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a set ofcontainers for use with a display rack having a plurality of shelves,the set of containers comprising:

a plurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls;

the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining a common widthand depth of the containers so that they can be arranged in rows locatedside by side across the width of the shelf with a plurality ofcontainers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge;

wherein each container has the walls molded from a transparent materialand includes a molded top which forms an opening;

and a covering lid fitted onto the opening;

wherein the lid has an opening therein smaller than the opening in thetop with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut on the lid to closethe opening in the lid.

The arrangement described in more detail hereinafter provides boxes andcontainers specifically designed to suit sloped rack shelves. Thecontainer shapes lend themselves to the larger type of racking

The arrangement described in more detail hereinafter also provides asleeve or tray beneath the boxes or packages carried by the shelf. Thissleeve or tray should be manufactured from a material known to have alow coefficient of friction. Numerous types of plastic with suitablecharacteristics are available. This type of sleeve or tray has the addedbenefit of being usable as a shipping container for several packages orboxes.

The arrangement described in more detail hereinafter also provides aplastic container or jar which has been modified for use in the slopedrack system.

The arrangement described in more detail hereinafter also provides lidsfor the jars which are provided with openings to allow easy removal ofcontained product without removing the lid from the container. Theopening provided may encompass one half or more of the top surface areaof the lid. The opening portion of the lid is provided with four or moreprotrusions to form “clips” in order to hold a tool to set or imbed theproduct when the product is one such as finishing nails. The protrusionsmay also hold a tool known as a “driver bit” when the product held bythe container is a type of screw which uses a tool to apply it. The lid,when in a closed position, is retained by one or more protrusionsforming a latch which are in frictional contact with the main body ofthe lid.

When applied to the arrangements shown in Canadian patent 2453273 andU.S. Pat. No. 6,799,689 related to larger pallet carrying racks, theself feeding characteristics greatly reduce labour for warehouse staffwho would normally be required to pull remaining boxes and packagesforward.

Advantages of the modified container system combined with sloped rackshelves are as follows:

The use of packages or containers shaped to suit the angled or slopedracks improves the ability of remaining packages to slide forward anddownward as one is removed from the rack, presenting an orderly andattractive presentation of product to the customer.

The use of boxes or containers modified in this manner is moreattractive to the customer.

The tendency for boxes and containers to align themselves at the frontof the display reduces time spent by staff in keeping displays orderly.

Product counts are simplified because all boxes or packaged items are atthe front of the rack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one example of a conventionalshelving rack with angled or sloped shelves, the complete rack beingshown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same conventional shelf of therack of FIGS. 1 and 8 with square or rectangular product container boxesplaced on it.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the same conventional shelf of therack of FIGS. 1 and 8 with modified product container boxes according tothe present invention placed on it.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively front and side views of the modifiedproduct container boxes of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the same conventional shelf of therack of FIGS. 1 and 8 with modified product container boxes of FIG. 3and a slide container or tray according to the present invention placedon the shelf and containing the boxes of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are respectively front and side views of the modifiedproduct container jars for use with the shelf of FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of one tray of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are isometric views of a lid of the modified productcontainer jars of FIGS. 6A and 6B in open and closed positionsrespectively.

FIGS. 7C and 7B are side elevational views of the lid of FIGS. 7A and7B.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the shelving rack with angled or slopedshelves of FIG. 1.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1, 2 and 8 show a conventional display rack which can be of thetype shown in the above patent. In FIG. 2 the containers 15 for thearticles to be sold are of the conventional type typically used withsuch racks. The containers 15 are arranged in a series of rows side byside across the shelf. The display rack 10 has a plurality of shelves 11where at least some of the shelves 11 are inclined at a shelf angle Bfrom a front edge 11A upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge 11B so thatarticles on the shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge. Theshelves are mounted on a frame system 13 of a conventional construction.

In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 is shown a set of containers 20 comprising aplurality of containers 21 each having a base 22 for resting on theshelf 11, upstanding front 23 and rear 24 walls and upstanding sidewalls 25. The front, rear and side walls of the containers define acommon width and depth of the containers so that they can be arranged inrows located side by side across the width of the shelf with a pluralityof containers in each row from the front edge 11A to the rear edge 11B.

The containers 21 have the front and rear walls 23, 24 inclined at awall angle A to a plane P at right angles to the base 22, which wallangle A is substantially equal to the shelf angle B so that with thebase sitting on the inclined shelf the front and rear walls 23, 24 standsubstantially upright.

As shown in FIG. 3, each container has a top 26 which is substantiallyparallel to the base 22.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front and rear walls 23, 24 are planarand parallel and the side walls 25 are planar and parallel so that thecontainers are substantially rectangular. These containers are typicallyformed of a board material. The front wall includes a square opening 27covered by a transparent material 28 to allow viewing of the contents.

In an alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 6, the walls are molded froma transparent material 30 to form a jar where the molded top 31 forms anopening 32 with a covering lid 33 with a peripheral rim 34 which is asnap fit or a screw fit onto a rib at the opening 32.

As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, wherein the lid 33 has an opening 35 thereinsmaller than the opening 32 in the top with a hinged opening portion 36which snaps by a snap edge 37 shut on the lid to close the opening inthe lid. As shown as an example, the lid 33 is circular and the openingis 35 semi-circular so as to form less than half of the open top 32.

The opening portion 36 carries protruding clips 38 to hold a sample 39of the contents of the container against the underside of the openingportion 36. The clips are arranged in two spaced pairs 40, 41 to holdthe elongate sample 39 clipped between each pair and extendinglongitudinally between the pairs.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, there is provided a tray 40 with a flat base41 arranged to sit on the shelf 11 with front and rear walls 42, 43upstanding from the base with side walls 44, 45. The tray has a widthsubstantially equal to the width of the containers 21 for receiving onerow of the containers.

The tray includes a removable cover portion (note shown) attached to atop edge 47 or wrapped over the tray for retaining the containers 21 onthe tray and protecting the containers for shipping. The cover portionis removable by tearing or unwrapping to allow the tray containing thecontainers to be placed on the shelf for display of the containers. Thisallows the containers to be easily loaded and also improves the slidingaction in the inclined shelf. For further improvement, the side walls44, 45 and the base 41 can include notches 46 forming narrow rails onwhich the containers slide. The tray can be used with conventionalarticles or containers to hold the row of articles or containers to bedisplayed for sale. For improved sliding action, the tray has at leastthe base thereof formed from a plastics material having a coefficient offriction less than that of the shelf.

The arrangement described in more detail hereinafter also provides lidsfor the jars which are provided with openings to allow easy removal ofcontained product without removing the lid from the container. Theopening provided may encompass one half or more of the top surface areaof the lid. The opening portion of the lid is provided with four or moreprotrusions to form “clips” in order to hold a tool to set or imbed theproduct when the product is one such as finishing nails. The protrusionsmay also hold a tool known as a “driver bit” when the product held bythe container is a type of screw which uses a tool to apply it. The lid,when in a closed position, is retained by one or more protrusionsforming a latch which are in frictional contact with the main body ofthe lid.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims without department from suchspirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

1. A set of containers for use with a display rack having a plurality ofshelves where at least some of the shelves are inclined at a shelf anglefrom a front edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge so thatarticles on the shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge, the setof containers comprising: a plurality of containers each having a basefor resting on the shelf, upstanding front and rear walls and upstandingside walls; the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining acommon width and depth of the containers so that they can be arranged inrows located side by side across the width of the shelf with a pluralityof containers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge; thecontainers having the front and rear walls inclined at a wall angle to aplane at right angles to the base the base, which wall angle issubstantially equal to the shelf angle so that with the base sitting onthe inclined shelf the front and rear walls stand substantially upright.2. The set of containers according to claim 1 wherein each container hasa top which is substantially parallel to the base.
 3. The set ofcontainers according to claim 1 wherein the front and rear walls areplanar and parallel and the side walls are planar and parallel so thatthe containers are substantially rectangular.
 4. The set of containersaccording to claim 1 wherein the containers are formed of a boardmaterial.
 5. The set of containers according to claim 4 wherein thefront wall includes an opening covered by a transparent material toallow viewing of the contents.
 6. The set of containers according toclaim 1 wherein the walls are molded from a transparent material.
 7. Theset of containers according to claim 6 wherein the top forms an openingwith a covering lid.
 8. The set of containers according to claim 7wherein the lid is a snap fit.
 9. The set of containers according toclaim 7 wherein the lid is a screw fit.
 10. The set of containersaccording to claim 1 wherein the lid has an opening therein smaller thanthe opening in the top with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut onthe lid to close the opening in the lid.
 11. The set of containersaccording to claim 10 wherein the lid is circular and the opening issemi-circular so as to form less than half of the open top.
 12. The setof containers according to claim 10 wherein the opening portion carriesprotruding clips to hold a product associated with the contents of thecontainer against the underside of the opening portion.
 13. The set ofcontainers according to claim 12 wherein the clips are arranged in twospaced pairs to hold an elongate component clipped between each pair andextending longitudinally between the pairs.
 14. The set of containersaccording to claim 1 wherein there is provided a tray with a flat basearranged to sit on the shelf with front and rear walls upstanding fromthe base, the tray having a width substantially equal to the width ofthe containers for receiving one row of the containers.
 15. The set ofcontainers according to claim 14 wherein the tray includes a removablecover portion for retaining the containers on the tray and protectingthe containers for shipping, the cover portion being removable to allowthe tray containing the containers to be placed on the shelf for displayof the containers.
 16. The set of containers according to claim 14wherein the tray has at least the base thereof formed from a plasticsmaterial having a coefficient of friction less than that of the shelf.17. A set of containers for use with a display rack having a pluralityof shelves where at least some of the shelves are inclined at a shelfangle from a front edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge so thatarticles on the shelf tend to slide forwardly to the front edge, the setof containers comprising: a plurality of containers each having a basefor resting on the shelf, upstanding front and rear walls and upstandingside walls; the front, rear and side walls of the containers defining acommon width and depth of the containers so that they can be arranged inrows located side by side across the width of the shelf with a pluralityof containers in each row from the front edge to the rear edge; whereineach container has a top which forms an opening with a covering lid;wherein the lid has an opening therein smaller than the opening in thetop with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut on the lid to closethe opening in the lid.
 18. The set of containers according to claim 17wherein the lid is a snap fit.
 19. The set of containers according toclaim 17 wherein the lid is a screw fit.
 20. The set of containersaccording to claim 17 wherein the lid is circular and the opening issemi-circular so as to form less than half of the open top.
 21. The setof containers according to claim 17 wherein the opening portion carriesprotruding clips to hold a sample of the contents of the containeragainst the underside of the opening portion.
 22. The set of containersaccording to claim 21 wherein the clips are arranged in two spaced pairsto hold an elongate sample clipped between each pair and extendinglongitudinally between the pairs.
 23. A set of containers for use with adisplay rack having a plurality of shelves where at least some of theshelves are inclined at a shelf angle from a front edge upwardly andrearwardly to a rear edge so that articles on the shelf tend to slideforwardly to the front edge, the set of containers comprising: aplurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls; the front,rear and side walls of the containers defining a common width and depthof the containers so that they can be arranged in rows located side byside across the width of the shelf with a plurality of containers ineach row from the front edge to the rear edge; wherein there is provideda tray with a flat base arranged to sit on the shelf with front and rearwalls upstanding from the base, the tray having a width substantiallyequal to the width of the containers for receiving one row of thecontainers.
 24. The set of containers according to claim 23 wherein thetray includes a removable cover portion for retaining the containers onthe tray and protecting the containers for shipping, the cover portionbeing removable to allow the tray containing the containers to be placedon the shelf for display of the containers.
 25. The set of containersaccording to claim 23 wherein the tray has at least the base thereofformed from a plastics material having a coefficient of friction lessthan that of the shelf.
 26. A set of containers for use with a displayrack having a plurality of shelves, the set of containers comprising: aplurality of containers each having a base for resting on the shelf,upstanding front and rear walls and upstanding side walls; the front,rear and side walls of the containers defining a common width and depthof the containers so that they can be arranged in rows located side byside across the width of the shelf with a plurality of containers ineach row from the front edge to the rear edge; wherein each containerhas the walls molded from a transparent material and includes a moldedtop which forms an opening; and a covering lid fitted onto the opening;wherein the lid has an opening therein smaller than the opening in thetop with a hinged opening portion which snaps shut on the lid to closethe opening in the lid.
 27. The set of containers according to claim 26wherein the lid is a snap fit.
 28. The set of containers according toclaim 27 wherein the lid is a screw fit.
 29. The set of containersaccording to claim 26 wherein the lid is circular and the opening issemi-circular so as to form less than half of the open top.
 30. The setof containers according to claim 26 wherein the opening portion carriesprotruding clips to hold a sample of the contents of the containeragainst the underside of the opening portion.
 31. The set of containersaccording to claim 30 wherein the clips are arranged in two spaced pairsto hold an elongate sample clipped between each pair and extendinglongitudinally between the pairs.